Council Undertakes Remedial Work At Sunset Beach

Waikato District Council will be working to restore the public accessways at Sunset Beach this week, after they were damaged in the heavy July storms.

From 21 - 24 September, the council will remove boulders, clay, metal fill and sand fences which had previously been used to hold the sea back, replacing these with a reshaped dune.

“Earthworks will be carried out with minimal encroachment onto the storm damaged area,” said general manager water and facilities, Richard Bax.

“We will concentrate on the section between the two original pedestrian access points, to try and establish one or more walkways down to the beach.

“The fencing will be moved back to allow for further native planting. More planting is needed to restore the dune buffer to help protect the car park from future storms. A small grassed area will also be developed so visitors can easily see the beach,” he said.

The council is working alongside Waikato Regional Council to reinstate a natural dune area so that it can better cope with the large storms this area is exposed to.

On 27 October, the local Kura Kaupapa Maaori will participate in a planting day to re-vegetate this area with native dune plant species.